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Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animal character created by animator Walter Lantz for short films distributed by Universal Pictures. He is one of the most indicative of the "screwball" type of cartoon character that became popular in the 1940s. He continued to appear in theatrical shorts until 1972, longer than most other characters from the Golden Age of Animation. History with the Macy's Parade Development Concepts of a Woody Woodpecker balloon have dated back to the 1960s, when Walter Lantz requested to have a Woody balloon in the Parade. However, Goodyear declined due to fears of lack of aerodynamics, and the project was scrapped. However, Kemp Balloons Inc showed interest in a Woody balloon, as Goodyear had stopped making the balloons in the early 1980s. With Lantz and Kemp on the job, and Goodyear giving tips on making balloons, and 5 months of making, the Woody Woodpecker balloon was successfully completed. Balloon History Woody Woodpecker first appeared in the Macy's Parade in 1982, behind the Frozen Woodland float, and had the honor of preceding Santa. But however, Woody was lowered to the ground during his debut. In 1983, the balloon was accompanied by Lantz and his voice actress, Grace Stafford. That same year, it appeared alongside Bullwinkle to celebrate the opening of a Macy's store in Aventura, Florida. The 270,000 square foot store was so large, it could contain the 75 by 45-foot balloon with ease. The Woody Woodpecker balloon quickly became a crowd favorite, and appeared for several more years, with the sponsor changing to Universal Studios in 1986. In the 1985 parade, he was at the back of the year's balloon lineup. The Woody balloon made its final appearance in 1996 and was the oldest balloon appearing that year. The Woody Woodpecker Balloon made a total of 15 flights. The balloon still resides at the Float Warehouse as of 2016. Before the balloon was created, a walk around appeared in the 1976 parade. Music * Woody Woodpecker Theme Song (1982-1996) Incidents As he was one of the tallest and widest balloons to ever appear in the parade, he was one of the most difficult balloons to fly. As such, he had a number of incidents throughout the time span in which he was used: * In 1982, Woody was lowered to the ground after puncturing his head. * In 1984, Woody got snagged by a tree at the start, but was freed and did not get damaged. * In 1985, Woody tore a hole in his coxcomb the night before the parade, but the hole was repaired in time. His legs however deflated during the march. and his hand was also ripped. * In 1986, a lamp post nearly ripped Woody's head clean off his body, and his head was partly separated when his handlers tried to pull the balloon away from trees, at the entrance of Times Square his hand hit a lamppost but wasn't damaged, but he survived. The wind also pushed his feet into tree branches, and by the time he got to Herald Square, they were both deflated. * In 1993, Woody's hand was ripped by a tree, causing all the balloon to slowly deflate, so it needed to be lowered to the ground. * In 1994 His start was delayed, He was originally going to be behind the AMC float but he was pushed back to the Dunkin' Donuts float for unknown reasons. * In 1996, unexpected "wind demons" caused Woody's left hand to be ripped by a tree. Defects * Usually, one or both of Woody's arms would be bent during his appearances, with the right one being bent the most frequently. * In 1989, Woody’s left eye pupil was scratched, possibly due to the heavy snow. * In 1989, his tail was deflated. Retirement and the future Size restrictions were introduced in 1998, meaning that the balloons could no longer exceed 70 feet in height, 78 feet in length, or 40 feet in width. As Woody was 75 feet tall and 45 feet wide, the widest balloon known to ever be made for the Parade, his balloon has been banned from making any further reappearances. As Woody has faded into obscurity, no redesign has been introduced since then. However, despite the new rules, the balloon reappeared as a decoration for the Macy's Holiday Parade at Universal Orlando Resort, alongside many other balloons, as part of the long-gone Balloonopolis attraction. Perhaps due to the balloon's large size, only the head was inflated at the event. A more permanent addition to Universal's holiday celebration was the addition of a walk-around version of him and his girlfriend Winnie Woodpecker on the Toon Trolley float and the Pep Cheers float. The walkarounds were retired after the 2015 Holiday Parade, as the parade would be rebranded into Universal's Holiday Parade Featuring Macy's two years later. Trivia * The Woody balloon's feet were red, which is inconsistent with his animated appearance; his feet are actually yellow. * Woody Woodpecker was the only balloon that was produced by Kemp Balloons, Inc. that lasted over a decade. Gallery Gallery: Woody Woodpecker Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:Cartoon Characters Category:1982 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Retired Balloons Category:Big Balloons Category:Movie Characters Category:1980s Balloons Category:Male Balloons Category:Kemp Balloons Category:Balloons used outside of the parade Category:Balloons that were in an accident